Living and working conditions and access to health services for agricultural and non-agricultural workers, brazil, 2013

Abstract

In Brazil, the growth of agribusiness to the detriment of family agriculture occurred while concealing social, environmental and human health damages. The objective was to compare living and working conditions and access to health services between agricultural and non-agricultur-al workers. Data from the National Health Survey (PNS) on living and working conditions, sociode-mographic, economic characteristics, and access to health services from a representative sample of the employed Brazilian population were adopted. Pearson’s chi-square test was used, with a signif-icance level of 0.05, taking the complex sampling design into consideration. Agricultural workers suffered from worse living conditions, lower pur-chasing power, greater exposure to solar radiation and chemical agents, and a higher frequency and severity of occupational accidents compared to non-agricultural workers. The agricultural population had greater coverage of the Family Health Service and sought medical care from the Unified Health System (SUS) to treat diseases, while the non-agricultural workers sought private medical care for preventive actions. The differences found between these workers imply different patterns of illness and define specific health needs.